BF advice for 5/6 month old...

[caygill132]

My dd is 5 1/2 months & has been bf exclusively from birth...mostly because she refused a bottle from 12 weeks..formula or ebm. Lately she has been only feeding for 10 mins at a time and appears to be emptying my boob after this time. She used to take about 20 mins to do this. Is this normal, does the time it takes to bf get shorter as she gets older or could it be because she has a cold and is snacking. I really think I'm empty after 10 mins though, if I try her back on the same boob she won't take it but if I put her on the other she has another 10 mins on that. Sorry if stupid question 1st time mum!!

It's normal for them to get faster at feeding as they get bigger. If you bottlefeed, you change to faster teats as they get bigger, but of course your boobs sort this out automatically. Don't worry, all is well.

Babies tend to get more efficient at bf over time, so I wouldn't worry, but if she is taking both breasts, then do offer the second.

Thanks..I did think that was the case but I'm no expert and am still not a confident bfer.

I found that the time dd took to feed got shorter as she got older.
I always offer my dd (10 months) both sides at each feed anyway, though.
If your dd has a cold, she maybe needs frequent smaller feeds. As long as she's feeding well for the time she's on IMHO she'll be fine. You'll make what she needs. Keep an eye on her general wellbeing, and if you're worried call your GP/HV or a breastfeeding support line.

Not a stupid Q at all, caygill....a lot of the information in books is rubbish on this very point, and sometimes HCPs get it wrong, too.

Your dd's feeding behaviour sounds totally normal and you sound as if you are responding in the right way - offering the other breast. Some babies finish what they want in even less time and only want one breast not two!

Sorry..another question aswell. I only "planned" on bf for 6 months but with Amy not taking a bottle I can't see that being a possibility. I have managed to give her some milk 1-2oz ebm from a doidy cup and yesterday she did have 1/2oz ebm from a bottle!!! major breakthrough. but when I try with formula I don't have the same result. She spits it out and whacks the cup/bottle away. I have been using cow & gate formula..well not using more trying. Is there any other formula which would taste similar to bm???? The cow & gate smells really bad too!!! And while I am on one final thing, she has started to bite my nipple when she is feeding...no teeth yet but I am so scared for when they do come in. How do you stop them biting your nipple off!!??

My dd is nearly 6 months and has 1 bottle a day. We use hipp organic formula from a Dr Brown's bottle with a level 2 teat. She had previously refused all other bottles and didn't like other formulas but this combination is great. I think she prefers it to my milk now

Thanks I'll give it a go...we could open a shop with all the bottles/cups we have tried her with, but Dr Browns is not one we tried. Anything is worth a go, I'm getting a bit desperate now!